TLE/Al Jazeera visits…The DSEI arms fair

Before I start, I’ll level with you, I’m a pacifist. In a perfect world we would be able to end conflict with dialogue and restraint rather than bombs and bullets. However, I know that this isn’t the world we live in, and states need weaponry to defend themselves, and they have to get them from somewhere.

With that in mind I did some filming for Al Jazeera at the DESI 2015 Defence and Security Equipment exhibition at ExCel London between 15th-18th September. It’s one of the biggest arms fairs in the world and it was like any other trade show, you could easily have been looking at kitchen units, but what was on offer were tools of war.

What I found during filming was a sanitised version of war that glamourises, and only alludes to the eventual end use of these products. But, I have to admit, it was fun at times, even a pacifist needs a bit of alone time with a machine gun.

I feel at this point I must say that I support the UK armed forces, and nearly everybody I spoke to (virtually all military or ex-military) said the British Army was the best in the world, and that filled me with pride.